Rt-PA causes a significant increase in endogenous u-PA during experimental focal cerebral ischemia

• Published in: The European journal of neuroscience 2004-12, Vol.20 (11), p.2903-2908
• Main Authors: Burggraf, Dorothe, Martens, Helge K., Wunderlich, Nathalie, Jäger, Gabriele, Hamann, Gerhard F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis of Variance; Animals; Basal Ganglia - drug effects; Basal Ganglia - enzymology; Blotting, Western - methods; Brain Ischemia - enzymology; Caseins - pharmacology; Cerebral Cortex - drug effects; Cerebral Cortex - enzymology; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Enzyme Activation - drug effects; Humans; Male; Plasminogen - pharmacology; plasminogen activator; rat; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Recombinant Proteins - administration & dosage; t-PA; Tissue Plasminogen Activator - administration & dosage; Tissue Plasminogen Activator - pharmacology; u-PA; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator - metabolism; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0953-816X; 1460-9568
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2004.03757.x

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different doses of exogenous recombinant human tissue plasminogen activator (rt‐PA) on the endogenous cerebral plasminogen–plasmin system in focal ischemia in rats. Ischemia was induced using the suture model. Each group of rats (n = 6) received either treatment (0.9, 9 or 18 mg rt‐PA/kg body weight) or saline (control group) at the end of ischemia; a sham‐operated group was added. The activity of the plasminogen activators was measured by casein‐dependent plasminogen zymography. In the cortex urokinase (u‐PA) rose from sham (no ischemia), 91 ± 7% to ischemia, 176 ± 10% (P